The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by William Seil Read Free Book Online

offend. The bearded man was stronger, and much more colourful in his language. By questioning the passenger next to me, I learned that the young man was Thomas Andrews, managing director of Harland & Wolff, the giant ship-building company. Andrews was one of the main designers of the Titanic . He was debating with a very formidable opponent — William Thomas Stead, a journalist and editor, who was travelling to America to address a peace conference at the request of President William Howard Taft.
    I was familiar with Stead’s illustrious career. For many years, he had been a crusader for various causes. Perhaps my memory was jogged by our ocean voyage, but I particularly remembered a story he had written about a fictional voyage to the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. It took place during a trans-Atlantic crossing on the White Star liner Majestic. In it, a clairvoyant passenger had visions of survivors from the wreck of another vessel, which had foundered after striking an iceberg. It concluded with the Majestic rescuing the survivors. Stead had a reputation for investigating psychic phenomena and consulting mediums.
    ‘Twenty-five years ago — twenty-five years ago, Mr Andrews — I was warning the public about the shortage of lifeboats on these liners,’ Stead said, waving his arms for emphasis. ‘If anything, the problem has become worse, not better. The ships have grown larger and larger, but the number of lifeboats has remained the same. What do you have to say to that?’
    Andrews leaned forward and chose his words with deliberation. ‘I would say, Mr Stead, that you have overlooked the enormous progress that has been made in the engineering of large ships, and the important safety features that have been incorporated into the newer vessels, like the Titanic.’
    ‘Are you saying it is unsinkable, then? I have read about all the boasting that has been going on.’
    ‘No, of course not. No ship is unsinkable. But I’d go so far as to say that this ship is as close to being unsinkable as any vessel can be.’ Andrews looked at the passengers who were gathered around, wondering perhaps whether they were being shaken by this discussion. Their expressions ranged from interest to outright amusement.
    Andrews continued. ‘Let me explain. This ship has sixteen watertight compartments down below — all with doors that can be closed from the bridge. It can remain afloat with any two of the compartments flooded, or any three of the first five flooded. Even in the unlikely event we had a head-on collision and flooded the first four compartments, we still would not sink.’
    ‘But you did not answer my question,’ said Stead, his voice filled with challenge and impatience. ‘What if one of these big liners does go down, and there are not enough lifeboats for everyone on board. What do you do then?’
    ‘Well, to begin with, all our liners have a sufficient number of lifeboats to meet Board of Trade...’
    ‘Board of Trade! Those regulations are archaic. Besides, the Board of Trade is in the pocket of the ship owners.’
    ‘And even if a serious accident did happen, a modern ship could remain afloat for many hours — perhaps even days — before it went down. In these busy shipping lanes, that is plenty of time to signal another vessel and ferry the passengers over in lifeboats.’
    This seemed to reassure the passengers who were listening to the debate, but not Stead.
    ‘Competition,’ Stead said. ‘That is all it is, competition between the lines. You do not want to take up room on deck with lifeboats, when you can fill it with walkways and amusements for passengers. All you people care about is packing these things with paying customers.’
    Andrews rose from his chair, showing anger for the first time. Still, he retained his composure as he spoke.
    ‘Mr Stead, let me assure you that safety is — and always has been — the first concern of Harland & Wolff. If I were not fully convinced of that, I would not